Brown Recluse

Brown Recluse Spiders,also known as fiddle-back spiders, are venomous and found in almost every home throughout Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky counties. They are light brown in color and the back piece of the adults’ bodies is very distinctively dark and some adults display a dull yellowish brown color. Their color becomes darker with age and fully grown brown recluse spiders grow between 6 and 11 mm long. Including the legs, a brown recluse is about the size of a quarter. A noticeable characteristic is the violin-shaped mark on the dorsum of the cephalothorax with the neck of this pattern facing the abdomen.

As the name suggests, brown recluse spiders live reclusive, which means that they hide in dark cracks of apartments, houses, basements, garages, or barns. Their net can be found close to the ground in undisturbed and dark areas, looks irregular and is not used to catch prey. Instead, brown recluse spiders are hunters and only use their nets to retreat. Usually, nets are located in attics, closets, cellars, basements, crawlspaces and duct work.

Brown Recluse usually only bite humans when feeling threatened. Bites can stay unnoticed for a few hours; the skin can turn red and in some the bite resulted in necrosis or tissue damage. When in doubt, a doctor should be seen.

The females produce egg sacs that hold between 31 and 300 eggs, which take roughly one month to hatch. It takes a brown recluse spider about one year to grow into an adult. Although being able to survive without food or water, favorable nutrition and weather conditions can accelerate the development.

Applying extensive years of experience combined with employing the latest products, techniques, and methods taught us how to effectively treat for brown recluse spiders. We use different products and methods to control the problem: First, a pesticide dust is utilized to treat the habitat of brown recluse spiders, such as voids in walls, outlets, and base boards. The potency lasts up to 8 month and affects the spider’s nervous system on contact. Second, a liquid material serves to repel spiders and insects from treated areas. This product’s residual kills on contact for up to 3 months. Third, another liquid product is used for cracks, crevices, and other tight areas inside of the house that brown recluse spiders frequently squeeze through. This procedure maximizes exposure and kills for up to 30 days. Glue boards help monitor the effectiveness of treatment, kill the trapped spiders, and let us know which direction they are traveling from. Our residential pest control supervisor experienced many cases in which he found dead brown recluse spiders in areas that have been treated the previous month.

Fun facts about brown recluse spiders:

the lifespan is larger than the life span of other spider species

they can survive long periods of time without food or water

by consuming a large amount of mosquitoes they reduce the amount of diseases spread